Food Safety Minister Jeff Rooker announced today that new regulations covering natural mineral water, spring water and other bottled drinking waters have come into force.
Under the new regulations, the levels of all minerals in 'natural mineral water' must be labelled; spring water must be bottled at source, and water from a single source must not be sold under more than one brand. Spring water must also meet certain labelling requirements, and the microbiological criteria that currently apply to natural mineral water.
Mr Rooker said: "These rules implement new EU requirements. While in some respects the EU requirements go further than the UK believes is strictly necessary, they will provide consumers with some additional information to help them make an informed choice between different products that satisfy strict safety requirements, and contain some further protection against false or misleading claims."
These regulations consolidate GB regulations on natural mineral waters, spring waters, and other bottled drinking waters into one legal document. They came into force today. They implement Council Directive 80/777/EEC on the approximation of the law of Member States relating to the exploitation and marketing of natural mineral waters (OJ No. L229, 30,8,80, p.1) which was amended by Council Directive 90/70/EC (OJ No. L229, 23,11,96, p. 26) and adopted on 28th October 1986. The regulations also implement Council Directive 80/778/EEC (OJ No. L229, 30,8,80, p. 11) relating to the quality of water intended for human consumption, in relation to other drinking water which is bottled or sold in a bottle. These regulations revoke the Natural Mineral Waters Regulations 1985 (S.I. 1985/71) and the Drinking Waters in Containers Regulations 1994 (S.I. 1994/743).